The present application refers to a device for locking an element against axial displacement in a bore in another element, of the type defined in the preamble of the accompanying claim 1.
When connecting e.g. a drive shaft and an element driven by the motions of the shaft by inserting the shaft in a bore in the element the connection frequently is such that it can transfer torque but has no ability to take up axial forces. This is the case if the connection consists of splines. Special arrangements are then necessary for locking the two elements axially.
The most common arrangement is probably that the shaft is provided with a fixed stop face against which the other element is pressed by means of a nut fitted on a threaded portion of the shaft. It is hereby a drawback that the shaft can be fitted in the bore of the other element only from one direction due to the fixed stop face, which will limit the use of the device. As only one side of the other element generally is accessible it is necessary to provide the nut on this side in order to make possible locking and release of the joint. The shaft however thereby must be dismounted towards the side of the other element which is difficult to access, which is a drawback. In order to make possible a dismounting of the shaft towards the side of the other element at which the nut is located it is not possible to use any fixed stop face for the axial locking in one direction, but other types of locking means must be used.
It is earlier known to lock e.g. a bearing ring in a cylindrical bearing seat in a housing by means of a flexible locking ring, which engages a tapering portion adjacent the bearing seat and which can be displaced axially on the tapering portion for being pushed down into a groove in the envelope surface of the bearing ring by means of a number of screws and a thrust washer. Such a device is shown e.g. in Swedish printed specification No. 336,715. With such an arrangement it is possible to locate the bearing in the bearing seat from both directions, but the axial locking will become comparatively complicated as a plurality of elements such as screws must always be tightened or untightened at the locking and the release resp. The locking ring is furthermore located at the side of the seat remote from the screw heads, which means that the dismounting of the joint can be obstructed or made impossible if the locking ring should get jammed in its locking position.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a locking device of the type specified in the preamble of the specification, by means of which device mounting and dismounting of the one element into the bore of the other can be accomplished by pushing in or pushing out the one element in any direction in and out of the bore of the other element and by means of which device the axial locking during mounting and the release during dismounting is effected in a simple manner and with simple means.
The characteristics of the invention are defined in the accompanying claims.
With a device according to the invention a rapid, reliable and simple mounting and dismounting is made possible as the device comprises only a few parts, which can be easily fitted and handled. The different parts can prior to their mounting and after dismounting be kept together on one of the elements to be locked relative to each other, whereby the handling will be still more simplified. The devices if needed a good protection against penetrating water and dirt, and the design of the two elements to be locked relative to each other can be made with an extensive freedom of design. Due to is simplicity regarding manufacture and handling the device is considered to be competitive to common locking by means of a nut and a co-operating stop face or a groove with a clamping ring.
With a device according to the invention a shaft can be pushed in, pulled out of and locked in a desired position in a bore in another element, even if only one side of this element is accessible.